Understanding parental stressors: An investigation of British tennis-parents
Open Access
- 15 February 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Journal of Sports Sciences
- Vol. 27 (4), 339-351
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410802603871
Abstract
In this study, we examined the stressors experienced by British tennis-parents. The parents (n = 123) completed an extensive survey focused on the internal and external demands that they had encountered through having a child compete in the sport. The survey consisted of open-ended questions related to competition, coaching, organizational, personal, and developmental issues. Inductive and deductive content analysis resulted in the development of seven core themes of tennis-parental stressor: competition, coaches, finance, time, siblings, organization-related, and developmental. Parents experienced a diverse number of competitive stressors indicating the particular difficulties they faced before, during, and after matches involving their child, opponents, other parents, and officials. They also reported a wide range of organizational stressors that paralleled the financial, social, and personal investments that accompanied their support roles. The results of this research reinforce the importance of parents possessing the necessary skills to cope with the psychological, developmental, and logistical demands of competitive tennis. Implications with respect to induction workshops and education for coaches and parents are presented, as well as consideration for governing bodies to enhance their communication channels and logistical support. Future research recommendations are posed to build upon the study of this domain in youth sport.Keywords
This publication has 21 references indexed in Scilit:
- Stressors in elite sport: A coach perspectiveJournal of Sports Sciences, 2008
- Understanding the role parents play in tennis success: a national survey of junior tennis coachesBritish Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006
- Stress in elite sport performers: A comparative study of competitive and organizational stressorsJournal of Sports Sciences, 2005
- Talent Development in Elite Junior Tennis: Perceptions of Players, Parents, and CoachesJournal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2005
- Coaches under Pressure Four Decades of StudiesJournal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 2005
- Role ambiguity, role efficacy, and role performance: Multidimensional and mediational relationships within interdependent sport teams.Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2002
- The Sources of Stress Experienced by Professional Australian FootballersJournal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2002
- A Case Study of Organizational Stress in Elite SportJournal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2001
- Time Commitments in Junior Sport: Social Consequences for Participants and their FamiliesEuropean Journal of Physical Education, 1997
- Coaches are people too: An applied model of stress management for sports coachesJournal of Applied Sport Psychology, 1992